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Gabby Viola “3rd Generation” Black Belt

Gabby Viola Joins the Viola Karate Legacy   On August 17th 2021, Pittsburgh area karate champion Gabby Viola celebrated her 11th birthday and simultaneously became the youngest Black Belt at Allegheny Shotokan, a dojo that dates back to the 1960s.  Gabby joins a Pittsburgh karate legacy that includes three generations of Viola black belts including...

Gabby Viola – Fighting in 🥋 and out ⚕️ of the Ring

Let me share.  Life isn’t fair, the sooner you accept that the better.  In 2018, completely out of the blue, my daughter Gabby was diagnosed with bowel disease, an incurable inflammatory form of colitis 😥.  Without too much detail you’d never know she is sick on the outside, but on the inside, it is killing...

WKC World Champions Karate & Kickboxing

2019 WKC World Titles brought home to Western Pennsylvania The World Karate and Kickboxing Council (WKC) hosted the World Championships November, 3rd -9th in Niagara Falls, New York.   The world’s best from 22 countries converged to compete in WKC Tatami-style divisions.  The competition was the largest WKC championships in history with over 2000 athletes. Team...

“Sensei Viola” Day in Pittsburgh

“Sensei Viola Day” is September 23rd 2019 in Pittsburgh to honor of Allegheny Shotokan Karate’s 50-year Anniversary WHEREAS, Allegheny Shotokan Karate, or Viola Karate as it is more commonly known today, was established in 1969 at East Allegheny High School by Bill Viola, Sr. and is celebrating its 50th anniversary of educating students in martial...

WAKO – IOC Olympic Membership Kickboxing / Sport Karate

WAKO  Kickboxing / Karate joins the IOC (International Olympic Committee) I am proud to announce that WAKO has officially joined the Olympic Family!  As director of WAKO Region 10 for the Untited States of America (which oversees Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, West Virgina, and Washington, DC) we are dedicated to helping train and field athletes...

Kickboxing Karate Gold Medal Pan American Championships

North Huntingdon 9-year-old claims international kickboxing title STEPHEN HUBA | Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018, 10:33 p.m. Xander Eddy might look like a normal student while he’s walking the halls of Sunset Valley Elementary School in North Huntingdon. But he’s got a secret weapon – his hands and his feet. Xander, short for Alexander, recently became the youngest American to...

Finding a Cure for Parkinson’s Disease One “Kick” at a Time

Finding a Cure for Parkinson’s Disease One “Kick” at a Time An inspiring group of martial artists have made it their mission to KICK Parkinson’s disease—literally.  On September 3rd 2018 the Viola Karate Dojo and their sister program Norwin Ninjas assembled over 100 students to make a bold statement and kick non-stop for one mile...

🥋Ranked #1 Karate School and Team In Pittsburgh Team Kumite has been the most successful sport karate school team in the Pittsburgh region.  The team was established in 2000 after a void was left from 1980s/1990s powerhouse X-Caliber National Team.  X-Caliber’s were lead by Captain Mike Shurina (NASKA/NBL World Champion) and coached by Leonard Jackson.  X-Caliber...

Kick Parkinson’s Disease

Team Kumite Kick’s Parkinson’s Disease @ PIND 5K 8-year-old Rayden Galley, a member of “Team Kumite” (all-star karate team from Pittsburgh) was the top fundraiser at the PIND (Pittsburgh Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases) 5K walk/run/kick.  Over 600 participants supported the cause held September 4th at Boyce Park in Monroeville.   PIND offers a unique twist to...